Story by Paige Effinger, Staff Writer & Elizabeth Erwin, Contributing Writer
Photos by Brock Kirk
Murray State hosted Diversity Ball for the second year on March 30 to celebrate various cultures on our campus.
The event was sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Affairs, the Student Government Association and the Campus Activities Board. The ball was complete with food from different cultures, a DJ, a photographer and flags from all 43 countries that are represented at Murray State.
S.G. Carthell, senior director of the diversity initiative in the Office of Multicultural Affairs, was one of the faculty members who helped coordinate the event this year and last year.
“The whole idea of this event is to have an opportunity for folks to come, dress up, have a good time, network and develop your communication skills,” Carthell said.
Last year’s event went so well, Carthell said, that they had a hard time getting people to go home. The organizers only made a few changes this year, including food, decorations and music.
Carthell said he wanted to give everyone the opportunity to have a good time.
“These are the memories you’ll have in college that you’ll remember of embracing and sharing the diversity that we have on campus,” he said.
Ife Akindele, diversity chair of the Campus Activities Board, also played a part in coordinating this event. Akindele said the idea came about to give international students an opportunity to do things with American students, as well as include international students in more activities on campus.
“Diversity to me means more inclusivity rather than tolerance and celebrating the different countries we have here on campus,” Akindele said.
Whitney Hardison, president of the Black Student Council, said she was excited to represent her organization at the event and for the opportunity to dress up and have a good time.
Hardison said this event celebrates the representation of all different cultures.
“I think representation is so important,” Hardison said. “If you have one sort of face on everything, then you are not providing support to the people around you. I think it is so important to see all different types of faces, nationalities and cultures, because it makes us better in general.”
Carthell said he hopes to get more involvement next year, as diversity is something that needs to be celebrated on our campus.
“We are more alike than we are different,” Carthell said. “In understanding the ways that we are alike, we have to understand and celebrate and embrace our diversity, because until we can do that, we can’t figure out how much we are alike. I think that speaks to more of the value of diversity.”
